Pedagogy and Cultural Manifestations in the Weaving Practices of the Yakan Tribe

The Yakan weaving practices were integral to the personal and cultural life of the tribe. This study sought to describe how the teaching and learning happen in the Yakan weaving practices as well as determine the significance of weaving in the economic, social and environmental aspects of the Yakans’ way of life. Anchored on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) of Albert Bandura, learning occurs through the observation and imitation of the innate person (learner) of the modeled behavior (weaving) in a learning environment (Socio-cultural norms in the Yakan community.) The study utilized a qualitative and descriptive design. Pertinent data were obtained through Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII) and Fieldwork Observation Checklist (FOC). The respondents of the FGD were the weavers of the two Yakan communities in the cities of Zamboanga and Lamitan. The communities also served as the subject of the FOC. Three experts on Yakan textile and culture were probed in the KII. Purposive Sampling Technique was used to select the respondents of the FGD and the Snowball method to identify the informants for the KII. Results show that the Yakan weaving practices are transferred from one generation to another by the mothers to their daughters. The pedagogy could either be structured, through demonstration and modeling by the teacher or informal through observation and imitation of the learner. Moreover, the interplay of culture is evident in the Yakan weaving through the economic and social practices as well as the adaptation in the environmental changes of the tribe. Lastly, there is a need to enhance the teaching and learning of weaving to accommodate more learners and to strike a balance between the preservation of the tribe’s culture and the profitability of the weaving textile business.